May 26, 2004 / 11:25 a.m. ET
Model the future: Estes Industries has announced that it has been licensed to create a line of flyable scale models and diecast replicas of Ansari X Prize rockets, reports Alan Boyle in his Cosmic Log on MSNBC. Planned for introduction over the coming year, Estes' catalog of suborbital passenger rocket models is said to include X Prize front-runner Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne as well as its competitors, the Canadian Arrow and Starchaser's Thunderstar, among others. "All of us at X PRIZE Foundation - and most of our registered team members - built Estes rockets during our careers," said Gregg Maryniak, Executive Director in a statement posted to their website. "It's a pleasure to have Estes as a new education partner."